Episode 166: Conversion: A Business Story with Mariah Hoang
What You’ll Find
In this episode, we have Mariah! She's the designer and woodworker behind The Cozy Catholic Life shop. She’s a Catholic convert, wife, and mother to 1 on earth & 2 in heaven.
She lives in Indianapolis with her husband & daughter, and loves coffee, campfires, and Eucharistic adoration. After crafting many home decor items and prayer aids to deepen her OWN faith, she answered God’s call to share her creations with those who also seek to draw closer to Him.
The Cozy Catholic Life is an apparel & home decor shop that helps Catholic families pray more, evangelize, and live liturgically.
Mariah's Family (03:15)
Mariah and her husband have been married for 8 years, and they have 1 child on earth and 2 in heaven. They have one dog and two cats, whom Mariah loves (although she fantasizes about having a fur-free home).
Inspiration & A Calling (04:05)
The Cozy Catholic Life was inspired by Mariah’s sister. She and Mariah have always enjoyed DIYs and crafting, and then the Cricut made an appearance.
Before too long, they both had Cricuts. They would bring them to one another’s houses, and they loved collaborating on new home decor pieces.
One day, the sisters were chatting over coffee, and the idea of a business called Mary & Martha …(something) came up. They started an Etsy shop called “Mary & Martha Home Decor” with one green Holy Water bottle. And…crickets…
Then Mariah’s sister decided to homeschool and had to step away from the business.
Mariah let her entrepreneurial desires fizzle for a moment, but in adoration (time with Jesus and the Eucharist) she kept coming back to business. During this time, Mariah was also dealing with secondary infertility, her daughter was growing older, and she wanted to make use of her time.
It felt odd for Mariah to continue Mary & Martha without her sister, so she rebranded.
The Cozy Catholic Life came to her in prayer, and from the beginning, God has blessed her business in SO many ways.
Even as Mariah continues to grow her family, she sees how much of a miracle her daughter is. Maybe they won’t have another child (maybe they will), but for now it seems that God is giving Mariah space to complete THIS work.
A Patron (10:00)
A few short months ago, the idea of a Patron Saint for the business came up. Mariah is always the most peaceful when she’s working with wood…so naturally Saint Joseph the Worker has been a significant influence on her family AND business.
Mariah converted 13 years ago, and her husband just converted this past Easter, and Saint Joseph the Worker has been a spiritual rock through it all.
The business also helps provide a traditional private Catholic education to Mariah’s daughter—so being able to share offerings that help families deepen their faith—while also contributing financially to raising her daughter has been amazing for Mariah!
A Typical Day in the Shop (13:00)
The best word to describe a “typical” day in business is flexible. Mariah does have a 5-year-old only child who loves to be with her and her husband (who also works from home quite often), so keeping up with her is a wonderful challenge.
During the summers, Mariah could be working with wood in the shop, fulfilling orders on Etsy, business coaching, and learning (about things she’s not great at…yet).
This will be the first year Mariah has 5 days a week to work on her business, and she’s excited to see what God does with that.
It’s been great for Mariah to have her daughter witness her growing business…and it helps with the “mom guilt,” and it’s wonderful to see her daughter’s willingness to help and growing work ethic.
Setting Up for Success (17:06)
Everything begins with prayer. Mariah gets very distracted, so focusing can be difficult. In this season of exponential growth in her business, there are so many directions and so many tasks, which can make it difficult to slow down and pray.
All that being said…coffee first, then family time before work (perhaps a morning walk through the neighborhood).
In the evenings, as part of the bedtime routine, there’s a family rosary and Mariah’s daughter prays for a baby and for her business.
Joy in Business (19:00)
The thing Mariah enjoys most about her business is how it has strengthened her individual AND her family’s faith. Before starting her business, she struggled a lot with being confident and firm in her faith.
Mariah would stay with her sister in the summer, and attend Mass with some Catholic friends, and walking in the building felt…different.
Then she would go back to the United Methodist church in her home town and it would feel…empty. She didn’t know what to attribute that to, she just knew something was different.
Conversion Stories (21:10)
Mariah’s sister wanted to go through RCIA (the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) again and offered to sponsor Mariah if she would like. So, Mariah committed to commuting from Purdue to the classes every Monday and converted.
Mariah’s husband was not Catholic when they were married, and he wasn’t sure how to believe in the Eucharist.
After discussing some of the products Mariah wanted to release, she and her husband spoke about the Eucharist again. She urged him to talk with the priest again, and it took only 15 minutes, and he decided to convert.
Looking back, Mariah now sees and appreciates how her business led her AND her husband to a deeper faith.
The Best Part of Business (25:35)
Woodworking is Mariah’s FAVORITE part of what she does. During the design process, she’s her own worst critic, but she shines in the creation.
Seeing all the different combinations of hooks, fonts, and stains people choose for their rosary hangers is fun.
Mariah inherited a saw from her Opa and it will allow her to customize her designs even further.
The Task that requires the MOST (28:05)
Social media is the part of business that challenges Mariah the most. She wants God to be the focus of her business, not her.
During Lent, she gave up social media and saw how even a small amount affects her.
Mariah wants to honor her desire to be on social media less but wants to be out there proclaiming the good.
Products (31:10)
The Cozy Catholic Life offers a lot of apparel (t-shirts, sweatshirts, and hoodies) that’s different than anything else out there.
Mariah created an Ugly Advent Sweatshirt (for Catholics to wear to their Ugly Christmas Sweater parties).
There are Advent Scripture Countdown Cards in the shop as well (both as a printable or a pre-printed product). Mariah updates these every year.
She also has wooden products, Rosary hangers, and wooden book stacks.
Some of her top sellers include the Ugly Advent Sweatshirt, the Marian Cross Sweatshirt (and t-shirt), and of course…the Rosary hangers.
On the Horizon (35:20)
A few things on the horizon (but not in the shop yet) are house blessing kits for Epiphany and wooden door signs.
The Best Investment (36:20)
Catholic Business Coaching is the best investment Mariah has made so far. There’s just so much business advice out there, and so many ways you can run your business, and when she stumbled across Sterling Jaquith’s podcast, it didn’t take long to sign up for coaching.
Being surrounded by a community that understands what it’s like to do business, and even further…what it’s like to do business as a Catholic is so wonderful!
A's to Our Q's (39:05)
Mariah, her husband, and her daughter are all converts and that’s what makes them unique.
During the summer, any dinner in a pinch is made on the grill. When it’s cold, Mariah has a white chicken chili recipe that is quick and easy.
Mariah’s guilty pleasures are Oreo Desert and Indian food.
Into the Deep by Dan Birk is the book that Mariah just began reading (which she borrowed from her husband).
The product that Mariah has given away or gifted the most is her Marian Cross sweatshirt.
More from Mariah
You can find Mariah and The Cozy Catholic LIfe on Instagram and Etsy
And, here's a link to the spiritual bouquet download she made for our listeners!
Finally, Mariah has offered a generous discount to our listeners, just use the code DELIBERATE35
